Go Red for Women

It was an afternoon to be dressed in red as dozens of women turned out for the Go Red luncheon. February is national heart awareness month. The luncheon honored many heart disease survivors. Abigail Johnson was one of them.

Johnson did all the right things. She exercised, ate right and got enough rest, but still, she got heart disease.

"I caught a virus and I suddenly had a very, very weak heart. I was pretty surprised because I did all the things you're suppose to do to have a healthy heart, but sometimes it doesn't matter, " said Johnson.

Johnson says this just proves it can happen to anyone. Research shows heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. One way to help prevent it is through education.

"We need to be aware of the symptoms, we need to be aware of our nutrition, we need to be aware of exercise and all the things that we can do," said Johnson.

Abigail was lucky, and beat the disease. She says she feels better than ever. Events like the Go Red lunch give her the chance to bond with other heart disease survivors.

The American Heart Association and St. Joseph work together to teach women about heart disease. One of their programs is called "Heart Smart ".

"They offer screenings and educational programs and they can even take the women through a cardiac profile that can show how their doing with their heart health, " said Alyssa Locklear with St. Joseph.

Abigail hopes her story will inspire other women to visit their doctors and make sure they are not at risk for heart disease or stroke.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.